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Vonn, Riesch set for final battle

LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch predicted their five-month fight for the World Cup overall title would come down to the last race.

It has.

The forecast today is for sunshine and high drama, with the two-way race for the giant crystal globe trophy to be decided by two giant slalom runs down a steep Swiss hillside.

Vonn is looking to extend her era of domination, trailing by just three points in her bid for a fourth straight title. Riesch, a distant runner-up the past two years, is chasing an elusive first overall crown.

Riesch did just enough to take the lead Friday, finishing fourth while Vonn was 13th in a tense slalom won by Tina Maze of Slovenia.

Yet the German’s three-point edge on her American friend can be lost in hundredths of a second, with a race victory worth 100 points.

“I know I have a chance to be in there. I’ll fight and see what happens,” said Vonn, who led by 27 points following Wednesday’s downhill.

It’s a perfect scenario for Alpine skiing — two 26-year-old marketable racers, who are best friends and biggest rivals, slugging it out to the end.

“I think my chances are 50-50,” Riesch said. “But I won’t spend any time thinking about the mathematics. I just want to ski well.”

Adding to the tension, giant slalom is the weakest discipline for both women. Neither has a World Cup giant slalom victory, and each has just one top-3 finish this season.

Their unpredictable GS form and quirks of World Cup scoring mean Riesch and Vonn could finish dead even after amassing more than 1,750 points in 34 races.

If Vonn finishes eighth or ninth, and Riesch is one place behind her, they will be tied. Vonn would then win based on a tiebreaker of most race victories this season, where she leads 8-6.

The weather has left Vonn worried there may be no race at all. Thursday’s super-G was canceled after heavy rain and fog, and organizers have had to do extra work to keep the slope in good racing condition. That was disappointing for Vonn, who won four of six races in the discipline this season.

“Obviously, if we don’t have the race (Saturday) I will be very disappointed,” Vonn said. “There’s a lot of manpower out there and I hope they’re out there again.”

The women’s slalom was raced after course workers focused on clearing the lower hill of overnight snow, and gave up preparing upper sections for the scheduled men’s giant slalom. It was canceled before 7 a.m., ensuring Ted Ligety of the United States kept his points lead and won his third GS title in four years.

On Saturday, the final men’s slalom gets preferential treatment, meaning the women’s race could be vulnerable.

“I’m quite confident that we can have a good day,” women’s race director Atle Skardaal said, but added that “the big work force will be on the men’s side so they get a slalom.”

The International Ski Federation schedule has no reserve days during the finals week.

“I think FIS needs to look hard at how they can change it,” Vonn said, after collecting her super-G crystal trophy. “As an athlete, I count on having all four events.”

Vonn trailed by 196 points when starting the month at Tarvisio, Italy, but closed the gap by winning downhill, super-G and super-combined titles on successive days.

Riesch faltered alarmingly last weekend in the Czech resort of Spindleruv Mlyn when failing to press an expected advantage in technical races.

Instead, Vonn delivered a career-best third place in giant slalom and arrived at Lenzerheide with longtime leader Riesch finally in her sights.

“I know I can do it (in GS) and I know I can be on the podium,” Vonn said Friday. “No matter what happens I will be happy with the season. I’ve worked hard and done the best I can.”

Riesch’s strong showing Friday seemed to dispel the notion that she may be close to buckling under the pressure.

“I think I am confident enough now to handle it,” Riesch said, referring to her slalom. “I was just a little bit more easy and not too tense. I don’t know why.”

Almost overlooked, Maze, the new world champion in super-combined, maintained her strong form to win in a two-run time of 1 minute, 29.33 seconds.

Maze’s 11th career World Cup win dealt a rare defeat to slalom title winner Marlies Schild of Austria, who trailed by 0.05 seconds. Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia was third, trailing Maze by 0.64.

Saturday also promises an exciting tussle for the giant slalom title between two young talents, Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany and Tessa Worley of France.

But that will be overshadowed by Riesch and Vonn. There is, after all, a much bigger trophy to be awarded.